thedarkcityfandomcom-20200213-history
Grotesques
Grotesques are hulking monsters of muscle and bone created by Dark Eldar Haemonculi. One Haemonculi Coven, the Children of Bone, are known for creating exceptionally large grotesques. Background An individual does not become a Grotesque voluntarily like the Wracks. Though they usually begin their ultimately wretched existences as Dark Eldar, these repulsive constructs have been reborn into their new shapes through a hideous metamorphosis meted out as a punishment for some real or perceived slight to the Haemonculi. The process by which a Dark Eldar captive is transformed into a Grotesque begins with a series of painful and humilating chemical and surgical modifications to the body. Dark Eldar are by nature narcissists and the Haemonculi always take great joy in warping the flesh of those who have angered them. Though the process can take several Terran years to complete, the victim is constantly pumped full of growth hormones, macrosteroids and muscle stimulants until his or her form has swollen grossly out of proprotion. Bone growth is accelerated by injections of osseovirals, which results in the excruciatingly painful growth of external bone spines from the massively muscled back of the nascent Grotesque. A Grotesque's muscled forearms are augmented with blades and toxin-dispensing gauntlets and his hands are surgically replaced with grasping talons or dripping tubes that can eject a great spray of the Grotesque's own toxic blood-ichor. At this point, the Grotesque has usually been clinically lobotomised, though some are left dimly aware of their situation the better to grasp the full horror of what has been done to them. The Grotesque becomes mindlessly obedient to its Haemonculus master, able to comprehend and execute only the most simple of tasks. His or her terror-stretched face is forever sealed behind a mask of black iron and the new monster lumbers forth from the Haemonculi's flesh-pods covered in ichor, a new and powerful battle slave for his foul masters. Equipment and Behavior Some grotesques, perhaps the most ferocious of them, known as Aberrations, are granted by the Haemonculi some far more deadly weapons than their claws. These weapons are usually gauntlets or other integrated weaponry, as grotesques are likely not intelligent enough to truly wield weapons. In war grotesques are generally used as linebreakers. Grotesques are usually sent to frontline of an attack force, as they will kill relentlessly until commanded otherwise. Grotesques are also reported to sometimes fight amongst themselves. Likely, the various steroids and stimulants flowing through their bodies are what send them into these berserk rampages. A grotesque that has killed its fellows usually dies, though whether at the hand of its Kabalite or Wych allies, or some other reason altogether is unknown. When moving from place to place, Grotesques simply shuffle after their keepers, but when given the command to kill and maim, they become true engines of destruction. Racks of syringes depress into their spinal sumps to dump potent stimulants into their blood-ichor stream, ridged bellow-pumps connected to their primary lungs wheeze and contract at triple speed, and veins throb near to bursting as tube-punctured hearts are forced to pound. With roars of anger and pain muffled by their iron masks, Grotesques fling themselves into close combat, slaughtering every living thing within their not inconsiderable reach with greathooks, their own claws and massive cleavers. They never stop killing until they receive their master's command. If this command is not heard for whatever reason in battle or because their Haemonculus master has temporarily been shuffled off the mortal coil, the Grotesque will simply continue killing, even if this means slaying other Dark Eldar in the same raiding force. Sometimes, a Grotesque's body will respond even more aggressively to the Haemonculi's transformative treatments over time and become even larger, more powerful and more bloodthirsty, if such a thing is possible. These hideous monsters are known to the Dark Eldar as Aberrations, and they are feared by any sane individual, though such creatures are valued particularly highly by the Haemonculi covens of the Dark City. 3rd Edition In Codex: Dark Eldar (3rd Edition), grotesques were more similar to wracks than in their other appearances. This leads to a common confusion of canon. Grotesques should be considered as described above, however, not as they appeared in 3rd Edition.